Select the most appropriate word to fill in the blank.

You must apologize ______ the punishment.

to escape

The correct word to fill in the blank is to escape.

The sentence is saying that you must apologize in order to avoid the punishment. The word "to escape" is the most appropriate word to express this meaning.

The other options are not as appropriate.

• Escape is a noun, and it does not make sense to say "You must apologize escape the punishment."
• Escapes is a verb, but it is in the present tense. The sentence is talking about something that must happen in the future, so the present tense is not appropriate.
• Escaping is a gerund, and it is used to describe an action that is in progress. The sentence is not talking about an action that is in progress, so the gerund is not appropriate.